


Five Times Marinette Failed to Hide and the One Time She Succeeded

by Megatraven



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, also platonic ladynoir, classmates appear in chapter 2, inspired by her hiding behind a bench to transform, it's fluffy for now, mari is a bad hider, rating may change in the future, some juleka in chapter 3, unedited
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:37:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9941738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megatraven/pseuds/Megatraven
Summary: Marinette has never been great at hiding, be it herself or her secrets.





	1. Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette plays hide-and-seek with Tom.

When Marinette was six years old, her papa covered his eyes and started to count. Tiny though she was, she was also very quick, and she was almost out of the room before he got to ‘three.’ She glanced back at him quickly, and saw him peeking.

With a huff, she stomped her foot and balled her fists. “No fair, Papa! You always tell me no peeking!” A tiny scowl adorned her face.

“Aw, can’t I have just a peek?” he asked her, a smile on his face.

“No! You never give me any peeks!” she exclaimed, shaking her head quickly, which sent her pigtails flying.

Tom guffawed at the sight, and he reached down to tussle her hair a bit. She couldn’t keep the scowl on her face at that, and instead giggled brightly. “Alright, you got me, I’ll play fair. Now, go hide,” he told her, nudging her a bit before turning around and making a large show of covering his face.

“No peeking?” she asked.

“Nope, promise.”

She hummed, satisfied by his answer, and finally ran off in the house to hide. She could hear her papa’s loud voice counting upstairs, and giggled as she looked for a cupboard in the kitchen that she could hide in. Just as she made to look in another, something else caught her eye.

There, on the counter’s edge, where her tiny hands and tippy toes could reach, was a plate of cookies. She knew they weren’t her papa’s, because he’d been upstairs with her all day. Which meant her maman had made them, and no offense to her papa, but maman’s cookies were the _best_. 

She reached to grab one, but froze when she heard her papa yell out.

“Ready or not, here I come!”

She gasped when she heard his footsteps, and knew he would take a short minute to check her room for her. 

“Oh no,” she whispered, looking from the cookies to the cupboards with wide eyes. She was about to turn to go hide when she heard another voice.

“My little croissant, you weren’t about to steal a cookie, were you?” her mother whispered.

Marinette whipped around to face her and shook her head with gusto. “No, Maman! I was gonna hide from Papa! Promise!” She rocked back and forth on her toes as she waited for a response.

Sabine smiled at her. “I believe you, love. You can get a cookie after, but for now, go hide!” With gentle hands, she steered Marinette away from the counter top.

“Maman, where should I hide?” 

“I don’t know, dear, but you’d better hurry. I can hear your papa starting to come down the steps.”

Marinette looked around frantically, no longer sure of where to hide, and then-

“The steps!” she gasped, and hurried forward. Listening to make sure her papa wasn’t too close, she quickly curled into a ball underneath the stairs, pressing herself to the fridge. She hid her face behind her hands and tried to be quiet as the footsteps grew louder.

When they leered over her, she gasped, and tried to stay as still as she could. She heard when his steps left the stairs, and tried to listen for him.

“Hmm... Sabine, have you seen our darling little Marinette? She’s got cute little pigtails, a yellow shirt as cute as her, and small bunny socks that she calls hops.”

Chuckling at her husband, Sabine replied, “I’m not sure, could you describe her further?”

“Of course! She’s wearing her pajama pants even though it’s lunchtime, her pigtails are pulled back by pink pompoms, she has a rosy little nose and cheeks, and she’s aboooout this tall.”

Marinette peeks through her fingers to look, and smiled proudly at how tall she was. Her maman looked impressed too.

“Why, she’s gotten so big! You know, I think I did see her not long ago, but I’m not sure where she went,” Sabine said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Ah, that’s alright, thank you for your help!” Tom said with a large grin. He stepped around his wife, and opened a cupboard, which made Marinette giggle. Boy was she glad she hadn’t hid _there_. “Marinette, are you in there?” he called. That made Marinette giggle more, and Tom stood up straight.

“Was that a giggle, I heard?”

“No!” Marinette whispered, clapping her hands over her mouth to smother more of her giggles.

He turned towards the stairs, and Marinette held her breath. She head him get closer and closer until his fingers tickled her sides and she couldn’t hold her giggles in any longer.

“P-Papa, stop it!” she wheezed, squealing and squirming as she tried to escape. Her legs kicked at his arms, but they had no effect. Soon, Tom, Sabine, and Marinette were all laughing, even when the tickling subsided.

When the laughter subsided too, Marinette hugged both her parents with all her might. Both hugged her back, and she shouted in joy when they lifted her up to set her on the counter. Her eyes flickered to the cookies as her legs kicked out, a subconscious action of hers.

“Can we have cookies now, Maman?” she said, her blue eyes aglow with joy and love and warmth. They even sparkled when her maman said yes, and her small hands took hold of the cookie on top. Her teeth were already sinking into the cookie before she looked at her papa first, and her maman second. Slowly, she took the cookie out of her mouth and held it out.

“What’re you doing, love?” Sabine asked.

“I thought you and Papa would wanna share with me,” she said. When neither of her parents made to grab the cookie, she withdrew her arm and broke it into uneven thirds. Crumbs flew onto her clothes and stuck to her hands, but she didn’t take notice. Instead, she held out two pieces of the cookie, and kept the smaller piece for herself.

Her parents beamed at her, and each took a piece. She was pleased when they finally bit into their pieces, and she shoved her own in her mouth. She chewed, but than had a thought, and didn’t stop to finish eating before she spoke. 

“Nex time omma hide be’er!” she exclaimed, crumbs flying out. Yes, she was sure of it! She would certainly hide better the next time she played, and then maybe she would get _more_  cookies.


	2. Guilty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she accidentally makes a mess, Marinette hides under her bed to avoid her parents' reaction.

On the day of her eleventh birthday, Marinette found herself hiding under her bed, legs sticking out. She knew that, even though it was her birthday, it wouldn't stop her maman and papa from yelling when they found out what she did. Even if it was on accident.

She sighed, her cheek pressing against the wood of the floor as her legs lifted and lightly kicked it. Her hands instinctively held onto her elbows, which had ended up scraped and bleeding by her accident. She winced, remembering the giant crashing sound that had accompanied her tripping up the stairs. Not only had she smeared the walls and steps with cupcake batter and frosting, but she’d gotten it all over herself and managed to track it through the house when she bolted from the scene of the crime.

Her vision blurred, and she felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. Sniffling, she tried her best not to let the pain and embarrassment (and possible punishment) move her to outright sobbing.

Of course, she knew there wasn’t anything _wrong_  with crying- papa told her that it’s like letting go of emotions when she has too many to hold in. Still, she didn’t think she deserved to cry over something that was her fault. Taking a stuttering breath, she squeezed her eyes shut and increased the kicking of her legs.

It wasn’t long after that that she heard the familiar creak of her trapdoor opening, and she felt herself go stiff. She not-so-subtly shifted further from the noise, unaware that her legs still stuck out. 

 _One, two, three_ , she counted, the beats of her hammering heart the only things to keep her calm and silent. _Four, five, six, seven..._

By the time she reached thirty, another body joined hers under the bed, and she shrunk into herself.

The other person spoke, gentle and soft, “Excuse me, young lady, I’m looking for my daughter, Marinette. You wouldn’t have happened to see her, would you? She might have some frosting in her hair, but she’s got the most blue eyes you’ll ever see.” Marinette couldn’t help the smile that tugged on her lips at the familiar antics of her parents. They always had a habit of saying stuff like that when she was trying to hide from them, and it always made her feel happy. “Last I saw, she was wearing a bright pink- and white-striped shirt, pink capris, no socks or shoes... and oh! How could I forget, she’s got a darling pink ribbon tying some of her hair back.”

Marinette finally turned to face her, and couldn’t keep from sniffling. “But Maman, I- I ruined the cupcakes you and Papa worked so hard to make...”

Sabine watched her for a moment before reaching out and brushing a few stray locks of Marinette’s bangs out of her eyes. “Did you do it on purpose?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head a bit.

“Then I don’t see a problem. It was just an accident. Why don’t you come out and help us clean up?”

Marinette looked away from her before sniffling and agreeing.

“That’s my girl,” her maman said with a smile. She slid out from the bed and offered a hand to her daughter when she came out too. At the sight of her elbows, unbandaged and still bleeding, she pursed her lips in worry. “First, though, let’s put some bandages on, alright? And get the frosting out of your hair.”

“Okay, Maman,” Marinette said with a wince. Sabine grabbed her wrist and led her to the bathroom, where she took a rag and gently washed her elbows clean. She knelt down and opened the cabinet, grabbing a few flower-shaped band-aids from their box.

“Would you like to put them on while I clean your hair?” Sabine asked.

Marinette nodded her head and took the bandages. While her maman’s fingers ran through her hair alongside the rag, Marinette carefully applied her band-aids. She was pleased when she saw how well they matched her outfit, being pink flowers with hints of white. A tiny smile formed on her face, and Sabine watched it grow larger through the mirror.

When they were finished in the bathroom, Sabine tugged gently for Marinette to come down to the bakery, and the latter belatedly realized she hadn’t seen a drop of her mess anywhere. They cleared the last step without a hitch, and she was suddenly bombarded by noise.

As small as the group attending her birthday was, they were _very_ loud as their screams of “Happy birthday, Marinette!” pierced the air. A large smile grew on her face, and she rushed forward, hugging the friends that had come before doing the same to her parents.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, Maman and Papa! But... the cupcakes...” she said, her voice trailing off.

She looked up at her papa’s face when he put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, dear. Just have fun with your friends for now, a new batch of cupcakes should be ready soon, and I’ll frost them as soon as I can.”

“Oh, thank you, Papa!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him once again. He and Sabine gave a hearty laugh before detaching her arms and nudging her to hang out with her friends.

Among the group of her friends, she saw the familiar faces of Rose, Nathanael, Juleka, Kim, Alix, and even Mylene. She had invited Ivan, Sabrina, and Max too, but all three were busy. She’d also invited Chloe, but she knew the other girl wouldn’t be coming. Her papa always had something going on, so her and Chloe never had the chance to really become friends. Plus, she started to be mean, and Marinette could do without that on her birthday.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Alix called out, “Let’s play a game!”

“As long as it’s a game I get to beat you at, I’m so in,” Kim said with a smirk. Alix stuck her tongue out at him, and Marinette laughed. Those two were just as competitive as she and Max were. 

“How about...” Rose started.

“Hide and seek?” Juleka finished. The two smiled at each other, and whoops filled the air at the idea.

“Of course, it’s totally up to Mari, though!” Alix tacked on, looking over at her.

“Uh, well... You guys know I’m _really_ bad at it, but... let’s play!” she shouted. Cheers filled the air, and as quick as they did, they also started making claims of ‘not being it’ until Mylene was the seeker.

“Count to thirty, alright?” Marinette said.

“I will,” Mylene smiled. She walked over to a corner and covered her face before she started to count. “One, two, three, four...”

As soon as she had started to count, the kids all made a break for the upstairs. They all found fine hiding spots, except for Marinette, who couldn’t seem to make her mind up on the matter. She was so lost in thought on where to hide that when Mylene came up, she was still standing in the middle of the room.

Mylene tapped her on the shoulder. “Found you!”

The rest of the classmates were found pretty easily after, their laughter giving away their hiding spots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated! <3
> 
> Reblog here: http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/157755367844/five-times-marinette-failed-to-hide-and-the-one


	3. Superhero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's hard to find a good spot to transform. Ladybug and Chat Noir have a talk.

Being a superhero was pretty great, Marinette had decided. It had helped her learn to manage time better, so she wouldn’t miss school, hanging out with friends, or her duties. She was pretty great at juggling different opportunities, if she did say so herself.

What she wasn’t so great at was finding spots to transform, and that wasn’t exactly her fault. People were everywhere! She lived in Paris, one of the biggest tourist attractions, and it wasn’t like you could just find that many areas with absolutely no people! Sometimes she just had to make do with what she had.

The results of that weren’t always so stellar. Sometimes she hid behind a tree thinner than her, and other times she dived behind a slotted bench, very well aware of the fact that it was poor cover. But, like she knew, she had to risk her identity and use her environment or she’d never have the chance to transform.

Really, she should’ve been prepared for the day someone found her out, but there she was, gawking at Juleka, who just stared back. She tried to say something several times, but each time, her words failed her.

Juleka broke the ice first.

“That... makes a lot of sense,” she said, a smile forming on her lips. She even looked a little impressed.

“I, uh,” Ladybug responded smartly. “It’s not what it looks like?” She winced; even she didn’t believe herself. “Look, I can explain, really, just- I have to kind of... go save Paris right now. But. I’ll, uh. Can I call you later? Or meet up with you?”

The other girl nodded, her bangs jostling at the motion. “We can meet later.” A brief pause, and then, “I won’t tell anyone, Ladybug.”

Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief, the tension rolling from her shoulders. Maybe she should have been more wary, but she trusted her classmate. They didn’t go out of their ways to speak everyday, but when they did talk, it was always a pleasant experience. 

Giving a small smile, Ladybug quickly said, “Thanks. I’ll text you later, but for now, I’ve got a city to save!” And with that, she flicked her wrist out and threw her yoyo, launching herself away.

As she fought Hawk Moth’s latest akuma, her mind kept wandering. _In hindsight,_ she thought, _maybe running around the nearest street corner while yelling ‘spots on’ wasn’t the wisest plan of action. Maybe I could’ve ran into the subway-_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Chat Noir tackled her out of the way of the akuma’s attack. They rolled a little before coming to a stop, both grunting.

“Everything okay, my lady?” he asked, removing his arms from around her. He looked up, a smirk in place on his face, and just as he prepared to let loose a witty one-liner, he stopped.

His lady wasn’t even looking at him. Okay, well, she was, but it was more like she was staring past him. Which was odd, because he couldn’t remember the last time she was distracted during a fight.

“My lady...?” he asked again, staring at her with concern.

She finally focused back in on him, and shook her head. “Sorry, Chaton. Something happened just before I showed up. It’s throwing me off a little, but-” she gave him a small smile- “we can talk after beating this akuma’s butt.” Finally, she moved off him, and as she stood, she pulled him up with her.

Having some semblance of focus, the akuma proved to be no match for the heroic duo. They did their customary fist bump before leaving the scene and running to a location they deemed safe enough to talk.

“So,” Chat drawled out.

“Right. Okay, so, I was on my way to you and the akuma. I was about to transform, so I called on Tikki as I turned a corner and.” She stopped and looked away from him.

When she didn’t continue, he prompted her in a gentle tone. “And?”

“And I- one of my friends from school caught me mid-transformation. I couldn’t think of any way to salvage my identity, but... she’s... I trust her.” He didn’t respond right away, and the silence was painful enough for her to glance at him. His expression was unreadable, which was odd considering her partner was as open a book as she was. “Chat? You’re not mad, are you?” she asked, starting to feel her anxiety over the whole situation crop back up.

If the shakiness of her voice didn’t bring him back to the conversation, seeing her lip start to quiver did. He quickly reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders and vehemently shook his head. “No, no, no, of course not! I’m just shocked, I guess? I mean, we’re both pretty careful with identity stuff, so I didn’t really expect either of us to ever let someone find out.” He pulled her into a hug, which she hesitantly returned. “I trust you and your judgement of this person completely.”

Ladybug relaxed into the hug and held him tighter. They stayed like that, standing in silence for a long time. It almost shocked them both when Ladybug started speaking. “Chat, I know it’s not exactly fair that you aren’t the first one to know who I am. And I’m not exactly ready to tell you or anyone else yet either, but... I’ll tell you my friend’s name, if you want.”

“Really?” he murmured. “You won’t mind? You know you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, LB.”

She smiled into his chest. “I know, but I think you deserve to know at least this.” She took a deep breath. “Her name’s Juleka Couffaine,” she said, not hearing the small gasp that leaves Chat’s lips. “She was Reflekta, if you remember her from a couple years back.”

He laughed at that. “Oh, I definitely remember. You kept trying to be funny, but all your jokes fell flatter than the shoes I wanted to be wearing.” His laughter increased and was joined by her own, in addition to her hand slapping his back.

“You’re just jealous that I’m funnier than you. Admit it, Pretty Kitty, I’m the real cat’s meow.”

“Well, how can I possibly deny you when say it like that?” He pulls away from her just enough so they can look each other in the eyes. “My lady, you are, without a doubt, the cat’s meow. And if we’re being specific on which cat, it’s this one right here,” he proclaims, pointing at himself.

One of her hands came up to cover her mouth as she giggled and snorted at him. “You’re such a silly kitty, Chaton.”

“Ah, but I’m _your_  silly kitty, Bug,” he replied with a wink.

She rolled her eyes but agreed with him, “You sure are. Thank you, by the way, for not being angry.”

“My lady, I could never be angry at you for that. It was an accident.”

“I know, I just. Worry a lot, I guess,” she admitted sheepishly. As if by habit, she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m pretty confident with things, but one thing I’ve never been too good with is having people mad at me. One time I tripped and ruined my birthday cupcakes, so I hid under my bed for like an hour because I thought my maman and papa would be mad.”

“Aw, my poor Bugaboo,” he said, a teasing lilt in his voice.

“Shush, you! I’ll have you know that is a perfectly understandable thing for any eleven-year-old to do!” She huffed and stamped her foot.

“Okay, okay, you got me, I concede.”

“Good.”

“Back onto the whole identity thing though; have you talked to Juleka yet? You said you were on your way to the fight, so I’m guessing not.”

“Yeah,” she drawled out, “I haven’t had the chance to talk to her. See, there’s this stray, and I had to give him some love and care before I left to meet with her.” She scratched his chin before flicking his bell with a smile. “I’m sure she’ll understand the hold up.”

“I resent being called a stray, my lady, but in any case, I think you should go talk to her before it gets too late. Maybe give that cat a kiss goodbye first, though.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Ladybug smirked. “Maybe I should.” She turned his head to the side and stood on the tips of her toes to tenderly kiss his cheek. When she pulled away, she beamed at his reddening face and pulled out her yoyo. “Hey Kitty?”

“Y-yes, Buginette?” he breathed.

She pointed to her own cheek. “You’ve got a little something right there.” His face grew an even darker shade of red as the fact that she was wearing lipstick  dawned on him. “Catch ya later!” she called, sending a wink his way. “Bug out!”

Turning from him, she ran to the edge of the rooftop they stood on and leaped, sending her yoyo whizzing through the air. When she finally landed by her parents’ bakery, she made certain that she was alone before detransforming and slipping inside as Marinette.

“Maman! Papa! I’m home! Is it okay if Juleka comes by later?” she asked, walking past the counter to quickly hug them.

“Of course, dear,” Tom answered. “Will she being staying for dinner? If so, we’ll prepare an extra setting.”

Marinette snorted and rolled her eyes. “Please, Papa, you know you and Maman always make too much anyways.”

“Guilty as charged,” Sabine laughed. “Still, let her know she’s welcome to stay if she’d like, okay, dear?”

“Yes, Maman,” she sighed. “I’m gonna go work on homework now, love you guys!” She ran through the bakery and up through the house until she was finally able to sink into her bed sheets.

Pulling out her phone, she searched through her contacts until Juleka’s name came up. She took a deep breath, shared a look with Tikki, and then hit call. It rang three times before somebody picked up.

“Hi, Marinette.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ending, I didn't feel like the conversation that ensues would be important to the story.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated it! <3
> 
> Reblog here: http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/158057444559/five-times-marinette-failed-to-hide-and-the-one

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments always appreciated! <3
> 
> Reblog here: http://megatraven.tumblr.com/post/157723202814/five-times-marinette-failed-to-hide-and-the-one


End file.
